Forced Labor Victim Lee Chunsik Passes Away in Japan

In front of the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Chunshik Lee (center), the only surviving victim of forced labor during the Japanese occupation, and bereaved family members are heading to the Grand Courtroom where the Supreme Court's full bench hearing for the appeal trial of the forced labor damage compensation lawsuit is being held on October 30, 2018. Photo by Yonhap News

Lee Chunsik, who was taken to Japan at a young age during the forced mobilization under Japanese colonial rule and continued legal battles without receiving proper compensation, has passed away at the age of 105.

According to the Citizens' Group for Forced Mobilization under Japanese Occupation on the 27th, Mr. Lee passed away from old age that morning at a nursing hospital in Dong-gu, Gwangju.

Mr. Lee, who had been hospitalized at a local hospital, was transferred to the nursing hospital for treatment as his health deteriorated in the second half of last year. In the 1940s, he was forcibly mobilized to work at the Nippon Steel mill, the predecessor of Shin-Nippon Seitetsu, in Japan. He endured harsh labor in poor conditions and, after returning to Korea following Japan's defeat, was never paid for his work.

In October 2018, the Supreme Court recognized the liability of Japanese companies such as Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for damages related to forced labor, but the defendant companies did not accept the ruling.

In response, the Korean government announced a "third-party compensation" solution, in which the Foundation for Victims of Forced Mobilization by Imperial Japan would pay the compensation using funds it had collected, instead of the Japanese companies. Mr. Lee accepted this solution in October last year by receiving the compensation and delayed interest.

Mr. Lee's funeral will be held in Room 201 at the VIP Funeral Hall in Seo-gu, Gwangju, with the burial scheduled for the 29th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.